Underneath
by lovelymomo-chan
Summary: The road to perdition is paved with good intentions; knowing this, the heir to the Aburame Tea House still seeks what he holds above all else. Above all job titles, social classes, or even responsibility to his father's legacy.Will true love conquer all?
1. Part I

Okay, before you blow up at me for this, allow me to explain: This is completely AU; and I didn't base this on anything or have much knowledge in the world of tea houses. I did as much research as my mind could handle before I just had to WRITE! And let it all out. Haha. Anyway, this is featuring Shino Aburame and Temari. I know this isn't exactly the most popular, OR sensible couple OR accurate at ALL, but please just bare with me. I assure you this one will be impressive. Oh, and of course I will be continuing with **Cure**, but this idea was stuck in my mind and had to come out.

Thank you for supporting me, enjoy **Underneath.**

* * *

_Won't you tell me, w__hat is beauty?_

* * *

Past the _shoji_, or paper doors, and through two foyers, down a long hall beyond two large vases full of wild yellow flowers, there was a door. Behind this door, a young woman smoked and drained her troubles away with each puff. Her kimono was barely covering her; the folds of red floral silk wrapped over her forearms and were loosely fastened around her waist with a golden _obi_. Blonde tendrils wisped over one shoulder, covering her left collarbone. Her hair was unkempt and a medium length. There were snarls and split ends at the tips, but it framed her face gently. As she let out a sigh of opium steeped breath, and her heavy lids opened wider. Her eye lashes were long and dainty, the most lady like feature of her face, and they covered her jade green eyes. They sparked and her pupils dilated when a sliver of light filled a line on the floor. The door opened, and a young man stood carrying her meal. 

"It's _morning_, already?" She groaned and put down her pipe, setting it lightly on the tatami mats.

The man didn't speak. He only pushed the tray towards her and adjusted his glasses. He was much younger than the geisha that sat before him, and politely adored her from afar. Speaking now would ruin the slim moment he had the chance to view her before she belonged to someone else; his customers.

"Temari," He turned around to face the door, and placed on hand on the paper that was woven between the bamboo frame, "make yourself decent."

"Thank you, Aburame-dono." She dipped her head low and bowed as he exited her room, all the light leaving with him.

She devoured her food, not noticing the time and care the young man had put into the presentation. He had spent much of the morning preparing that meal she gorged herself in. As soon as the last bite of sweet rice and _katsu_ was minced and swallowed, she dove into her closet and pulled out a clean _yukata_. She threw off her kimono, and straightened the new one around her. Tying the obi with expert precision, she altered the collar to go up right past her neck bones, and settle low on her back. Her skin, although clear and healthy, reeked of opium and carnal pleasures. She drenched herself in the finest perfume and soaked her natural complexion in layers of creamy white make-up and disguised every corner of her beauty beneath a mask; both physical and emotional.

When she was suitable for public display, like a porcelain doll, she gracefully strolled away from her chambers and into the tea house lobby, where men had already began to arrive.

_It was thi__s day, I realized I loved her. _

* * *

_ Three years ago._

* * *

"It has been five years now that you have started working here in the _ochaya_, Shino. And you have made the Aburame family very proud by your leadership skills. It would honor us if you would take on your responsibilities as my eldest son and take full management of the tea house." 

"Yes, father."

At the tender age of fifteen, the men of the Aburame clan were to end their jobs as assistants, and begin managing the geisha and courtesans of the tea house.

"Do you understand your duties, Shino? You are going to make sure that every one of these," As Shibi waved across the line of young faces in the distance, the girls grinned eagerly. "I'm sure they will miss my smiling face!"

"I will work my hardest, father."

"That's my boy. Oh, how foolish of me. You are a man now, Shino. Now, go on and take the day off. Today is a day of celebration! The Aburame clan's heir has taken his place in our history."

Shino bowed and stood up from the low table, his footsteps creaking and resounding through the quiet parlor. The eldest girl, a blonde near the end, Temari, caught his glimpse as he looked behind his shoulder for the last time as a servant. With each step towards the open courtyard, his smile widened. He stared for a long while at the gentle bonsai while leaning on a wooden post on the porch.

The doors in the parlor entrance opened at last and customers filled the room, shy laughter and expensive china clanked. Shibi's laughter could be heard the loudest; as he made the best of his last day. When things calmed to a relaxed party loudness, Shino heard footsteps behind him.

"Congratulations, Aburame-dono." A perfect-pitched female voice echoed from the doorway. The distance closed between them, and she stood beside Shino on the edge of the porch. "You will make a fine manager."

"Thank you, Miss…" He blushed and nervously shuffled his glasses farther up the arch of his nose, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met yet."

"No, it is I who should be sorry," She turned her slim figure towards him and arched her back in a polite bow. "You may call me Temari." And with that, her back rose and a straightened again, her charmed looks muted in the shade of the overhang.

Shino met her bow, his cheeks still warm and glowing, "Temari, you will be the best geisha in this ochaya, I'm sure of it."

"Please, don't flatter me, Aburame-dono." She waved a fan furiously across her hidden smile. "But as long as you are around, I know I won't fail."

He was silent, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her perfume. Lilac, lily, some dizzy flower that sent him higher than the clouds; and her fan only sent the fragrance guided closer to his senses. She was like a blossom before him, blooming in the sunset of his childhood. He resolved to keep this image of her with him, even in sunrises where their meeting would be only for business.

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**Thank you everyone,** I love you and I hope you have the heart to not attack me in your reviews! –bows- 


	2. Part II

Hello everyone, I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reviewing this. The following people are deserving of the kindest words of thanks! **Social Disorder**, **Lady**** Dragon**and as always, **Fanficfanatic940.** I was also generously inducted into a C2 for Temari pairings**Temari**** AI**. If you enjoy this work, I'm sure you will find others in that collection that are also just as (or more-so) enjoyable as this one. Thank you all for reading and if you would be so kind as to leave me a review, I most usually reply (Unless I know you IRL and I'll be talking to you on MSN, my darlings.) Enjoy!

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_Is beauty more important that love? Is love more important that responsibility?  
_

* * *

There was a pause in the parlor as Temari entered. The sweet smell of Jasmine still lingered in her hair, and her eyes were green-glazed like polished gems upon a blank canvas of white cream makeup. Even Shino's breath was lost, his vision blurred until the only thing that was visible was her lips curling into a trained "Good morning, everyone."

Shino shook his head; it was no wonder young men from all over the region would visit for the express purpose of experiencing this moment. He stood to greet her, and slid across the floor fluidly and met her palm, pulling her hand in hand to his table. The room was silent, in awe of only a mortal like Shino having the power to touch a forbidden goddess. After being formally introduced to the guests that hid their trepidation behind their suits and collars, looking more like a group of European gentlemen than Japanese business men, Temari took her place beside Shino and waited patiently for the meeting to begin. The times were changing, and like so many other traditions, the tea house was more of a tourist attraction than a timeless cultural experience.

The men ordered their drinks, and Temari served them as they discussed their industry plans. They were a small trading company that was banking in Yokohama's large port and distributing European goods to outlet stores around Japan. Shino was delighted to hear about the western food that they were planning to bring in the coming months.

* * *

The men tipped wealthily to their hostess and thanked Shino for the private meeting with her. They left and the younger maids escorted them to the train station, leaving Temari and Shino alone for the hours that it took to show them all the sights around town. Shino let down his façade of the stoic entrepreneur and show his softer, caring side that only Temari had recently come to know.

"Temari," Shino was whispering words that were only for her ears, "today there are no other reservations. If you're free, would you like to spend the day with me?"

"Of course, Aburame-dono," She smiled.

He never knew if she was playing her part as his employee, or if she was pretending to be his humble geisha servant, or if her smile was as bashful and genuine as it seemed. And she, in turn, never quite understood how to erase the baked on labels of which her profession required. Underneath all the convenient cover-ups that being a geisha supplied, her natural personality wasn't as tame or calm as her outward expression fooled others into thinking otherwise.

She was naturally attractive and easy to get along with. Shino found no contest in letting his innermost thoughts flow when she was the only one around, a connection that had grown over three years since his fifteenth birthday. Soon enough, when the end of January had come, he was going to reach the age of when most men in his family married. Eighteen years old, and he still was stuck on her; a wife that would never truly be only his.

However, this didn't stop him. He calculated that in one short year, he would have Temari for his own and she would settle down with him to start a family.

"Our New Year celebration was quite enjoyable, Aburam-"

"I wish you would call me Shino, there is no one around to judge our formality."

"Oh, of course. Shino, it was very fun."

"I agree, it seemed that most people will be returning next year because of it."

"I think so too, Shino." It was hard to say his name without hesitation, "business is going to kick up a lot more this year."

"Why do you think so?"

"Well, you're going to be an adult starting in only a very short time."

A pause; tension grew between them like a hidden glass wall. He knew what his responsibilities to his family were, and she knew her place as a geisha. There was no room for romance in either of their occupations, but something greater than obligation linked them together, something not quite definable.

He sighed and pushed his glasses tighter to the brim of his nose. "Hmm."

"What is it?" She leaned in, resting her head on the ball of her left palm; eyes wide and wild.

"There are just a lot of things on my mind." He clenched his fingers into a tight ball.

Temari moved her arm off her chin and placed her hand on Shino's tense fist. "You can tell me what is wrong. I'll listen."

His hand eased and wrapped around hers as he unwrinkled his brows and threw off his intense expression into a composed smile. Holding her hand in his, he cleared his throat, ready to explain to her all the troubles of owning up to his father's expectations and settling down with a wife before his nineteenth birthday. He wished he could speak his mind about wanting his last name to be her own, he wanted to, but the words were so difficult to find.

"Temari, there are many things that will change when I'm 18. Allow me to expla—"

"Master Aburame! We're hooooome!" Young voices filled the room as the maids returned, throwing their shoes off and cleaning all around Shino and Temari. _Had it really been two hours?_Shino thought as he quickly whipped his serpent-like arm from Temari's grasp. The young women didn't notice how close they were sitting, as they were more focused on returning to their duties and cleaning up from the business guests.

* * *

Temari looked away, into the distant window that hung beside the Aburame family crest; black brushstrokes on white parchment, centuries old. Shino studied her face and followed her eyes which traced the calligraphy next to the window.

"What are you looking at, Temari?"

"It is nothing, Aburame-dono, thank you for your concern." The inflection in her tone returned to the reserved voice of a geisha. She was no longer the caring woman he had spoken with earlier, but a taciturn maiden. Her smile was no longer genuine and recognizable, but a meek curl at either end of her lip.

The mask was no longer lifted, even for Shino. He was now her master, her _owner._ He cursed his disposition and returned to his own masquerade. Though the thoughts lingered in the back of his mind. _Will I ever get the chance to share with her how I feel the deepest? Or will my father find a more suitable wife for this family. _

There was a stir in the front room, and Shibi's voice could be heard.

"Father," Shino blinked uncontrollably.

"Shino," There was urgency in his voice; the words he chose were clearly of great importance. "I had to come and visit you today, as in only a week's time you will be eighteen years old and will fully take on your title as the ochaya owner."

"I understand my responsibilities. I don't need a reminder, so this must be about something else?"

"Yes, it's about the matter of marriage. My son, you must take a wife by midnight of the 23rd of January, or you will be replaced by the next heir in line."

_Midnight, no! He can't be serious. I could manage to be married in a year, but one week?_ "And if I should refuse, and wait the year I was granted before?"

"I'm afraid that you cannot refuse, or your mother and I will be forced to make a match for you; an arranged marriage."

* * *

Thank you everyone! I will update again as soon as possible. 


	3. Part III

Thank you everyone for reading this far, the next chapter will be the last. I hope you've enjoyed Underneath and feel free to leave me reviews, questions, or comments. : ) I love your input and of course it's always nice to hear from the people who read my work! This chapter is PG-13, for sure, so turn on the air conditioning; it's gonna get a little hot. Hahaha! I've got to admit, through writing this series, I've really come to appreciate this pairing and I would say it's growing to be one of my favorites. Before I forget, let me just thank those of you who have left me a little lovin' - **Social Disorder**, **Lady Dragon, **and **Fanficfanatic940 - **I couldn't have been motivated without you. Also, I hope you all had a lovely **Valentine's Day! **Okay, enough stalling! Please enjoy chapter three

* * *

_Words cannot reflect how I feel inside. The cold rain; a dismal future.  
_

* * *

Time stopped. "An arranged," Shino gulped the last word, "marriage?" 

"Yes." His father said grimly. It wasn't a fate he wanted for his rather unsociable son, yet with recent circumstances it was necessary to carry on the line of his family than to make petty sacrifices for the happiness of his son. _The ends justify the means_, Shibi reminded himself. "I'm afraid that's our only choice, son."

"But father,"

"No, we can't afford to give all this family's hard work to the next heir, a distant cousin, someone who doesn't know this tea house or any of our esteemed clientele or the gracious women who work here like the way you know it. This is not a matter of why, or if, we have to focus on the future."

"I understand." Shino knew he held a lot of responsibility and couldn't let it go into the wrong hands. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Well, unfortunately, there are not many young women around the age to be married in our clan. So, it will have to be someone from the outside that has a substantial fortune."

"A fortune?" Shino couldn't believe it; he always imagined himself marrying someone out of love, not how big her parent's pocket-book was.

"Yes, they will have to pay a considerably large dowry in order to marry you, Shino. You are the heir to the Aburame Tea House."

"There's no need to remind me, I understand."

"Shino, I will give you until Saturday night to find someone. And if you cannot, your mother and I will give you a bride on the afternoon of your birthday." Shibi's knees creaked as he stood up from the low table that divided him from his son. He looked at Shino, his eyes were soaked with grief for what he had to put his only son through; his heart ached within his chest. As he spoke again, his voice quivered as if the strong middle-aged man might cry. "I'm sorry; I wish it didn't have to be this way."

Shino looked away; his eyes followed the patterns of wood-grain on the long table in front of him. His legs twitched with anxiety, and five fingers trembled into a tight fist on his upper thigh. After a long hush in the room, he realized he was alone.

He sighed and stared off into space for a long time.

* * *

For hours, the ochaya was quiet. The girls ignored their master's dim room and left him to do whatever it was he was doing behind the closed shut shoji door. They carried out their daily work and finally settled down early in the evening. 

There was, however, one light that lingered in the darkness well into the night. She was awake, anxiously waiting for her courage to build up or for Shino to go to sleep. Temari listened, and when every last whisper in the house became a light snore, she made her way to Shino's room. It was almost two in the morning when Temari finally found Shino, asleep on the table, still sitting in the same position. The room was now pitch-black, and she was the only one awake in the house. Her candle split the darkness in the room with an eerie glow.

* * *

"Shino," Temari's mask was off as she shook him awake. "Shino, wake up, please." 

"Uh?" his eyes eased open.

"We're worried about you. I mean, I'm worried," She gasped, " I'm worried about you, Shino."

"Why? What should you be worried about? I knew all along I would have to accept my fate."

"I'm just worried about your happiness," her hand stroked through his dark brown hair, "How can you be happy with someone you don't even know?"

He said nothing; there were no words that could even come to his mind when he found that this goddess of a woman would actually worry about his happiness, his private thoughts, or his romantic ideals.

However, the geisha was impatient. She took her hand away from the back of his neck and softly touched the side of his face. "Shino," her voice was nothing more than a whisper in a silent room. Her hand was full of desperation. There was a side of her that wanted to be his happiness.

"Temari, what—what are you doing?" His body shuddered beneath her hand; the cheek she caressed warmed up and blushed under her delicate fingers.

"There's something I've needed to say to you for a long time," She leaned closer to his face; her kimono drooping off the side of her shoulder as her arm extended to brush back a strand of hair near his ear. "Shino, I'm in love with you."

She didn't wait for an answer; she moved her hand away from his cheek to the back of his head again and pressed her lips to his. They kissed for what seemed like forever, until a breathless Shino finally pushed away from her.

"You can't love me, Temari. My family wants more than love out of this marriage, you'll have to pay a great amount of money to even be considered, and you're a geisha..."

"You think I haven't thought through all of this, but, Shino, I've made up my mind. I've been saving up money for almost two years now and I know it's enough." Temari closed the distance between them again and kissed his lips again. "I will do everything it takes to be with you."

"Temari," her name was heavy on his lips; he was almost moaning. He threw himself at the young woman and held her in his arms. Holding her tightly and placing his hand behind her head, his words were merely sighs. "I love you too—"

"Shh, you don't have to say anything." Her kimono neglected her shoulder completely and fell freely to her arm.

Shino lost all hope of self control and pulled Temari closer to him, wildly planting kisses on every inch of her neck. He leaned closer, and pushed her to the floor, falling gracefully beside the table. She shifted to the right and he lifted his arms to support his weight above her. Her heart was beating out of her chest, louder than the rain that fell on the tile roof, and his heartbeat matched in speed.

"Shino" Temari moaned beneath him, groping around in the darkness to find the knot in his obi and untie it before all the breath in her lungs gave out.

He sighed and pushed her hand away. "Wait. No, we can't do this."

"What!?"

"Not yet."

"What the hell are you saying? Are you refusing me?" She pushed him off of her torso and scooted away from him, adjusting her kimono to fit tightly around her neck.

"No, I'm not refusing you, Temari. Please, understand I do want you, but I respect you enough to wait until we're really together."

"Thank you?" Temari shook her head. "I can't believe you. You of all people, you said you love me! Do you even care about me?"

He bent his body over hers again, "I do love you, and I always will."

"Shino," She smiled; hearing those words was more important than any other pleasure she could feel at that vulnerable moment.

He kissed her again and held her close to his heart. "Temari, will you marry me?"

"Tell your father as soon as the sun rises: you will have a wife of your own choosing." She smiled again, her dimples touched his again as they kissed goodnight and exited for their temporarily separate chambers.

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**Thank you for reading !**


	4. Part IV

Alright! How is everyone? **Thank you** very much for reading so far. You guys are really wonderful. Chapter four is finally here, and the next chapter will be the finale. I hope that you stick around for sequels I'm planning to keep in this same time period! Once again, I thank each of you for reading this series: S**ocial Disorder, Fanficfanatic940, and Lady Dragon.** You all are inspiring and keep me spirited to finish this. Thank you for always being encouraging!

* * *

_A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow _

* * *

_"SHINO!"_ A scream pierced the silence from within the _ochaya_.

His eyes unlocked and blurred instantly from an intense light protruding from the window. The morning sun set his room on fire and Shino was blind. He shuffled around hastily to find his glasses before the stomping, which grew louder with every step reached him.

_"Shino, get your butt out of bed. Hurry up!" _

His mind was playing tricks on him, there were no stomps. There was no screaming. All of it was coming from his head as he struggled with himself to wake up. It was already past noon, maybe one or two in the afternoon, and he was already late.

After he evaluated his appearance as best as he could, he set off towards the hall; sending the wooden frame of the door slamming into the walls of his room.

* * *

There was a stir in the house, giggles as a two young, and stylish to boot, men walked into the ochaya; the first costumers of the day. 

"Oh, hello!" A young hostess hesitated as she greeted the handsome men. Her lavender eyes glossed over their fine western suits and foreign hair styles. One had light brown hair and looked unkempt; the other had very neat hair, but it was a color the woman had never seen before beside the red leaves on autumn maple trees. It was clear that these two weren't from around here; and they both looked very important.

"We'd like to speak to Temari-san," the red-haired one wheezed. His voice sounded troubled as if there was some importance to this meeting.

"If that's alright." The other flashed his teeth in a wide grin and spoke in broken Japanese.

The girls scrambled to their feet, one group running towards Temari's door, another team's footsteps were heard scuttling around in the kitchen preparing tea and cake.

* * *

"Temari-san!" the eldest girl whispered through the paper wall. Her hair was neatly divided into two buns on either side of her head and she was just about as old as Temari herself. "Please, hurry! There are a couple of businessmen who are here to see you." 

"Right. Thank you Ten-san." She whispered back. Temari had been awake for most of the night, only finding a little rest before the noon sun pierced the walls of her room. She hurried herself to clean up, but it took less than a few moments before she was presentable. "Do you know who they are?" Temari chirped as she pulled her obi tighter around her waist.

"I'm not sure. They look like they are _gaijin_, though."

"Hmm," Temari slid the door open and walked to the hall to greet Tenten. They were right around the same height, but it was clear who the beautiful geisha was, and who was simply an apprentice. "I see, thank you. Run along and see that they get English tea."

Tenten bowed deeply at the nervous geisha when she entered the main hall. Many men had traveled far and wide to see her before, but something in her intuition made her feel uneasy about the situation.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep within the Aburame compound, Shino was close to the main house. Although it was only a short 15 minute walk from the tea house, Shino ran the entire way and was now breathing heavily and shaking all over. It wasn't just fatigue from running; he was about to confront his father. 

Monday morning always seemed to be the busiest day of all. There were many chores to complete before the guests arrived, and cleaning had to be finished before any cooking could be done. Sleeping in until the late afternoon, especially on this particular Monday, was not something Shino had in the cards. Neither was the unexpected feelings he discovered only twelve hours earlier from the woman he thought he could never have.

He stepped onto the low porch, trading his dusty walking sandals for slippers that were in a cubby next to the door. He set the sandals off the side of the porch, and walked into the big room of the main house. One could mistake this mansion for a temple; there were high ceilings and multiple old relics situated on the floor. In the middle, towards a wall that was painted in green and gold patterns, there were billows of smoke coming from colorful incense which lined an even bigger row of candles. Above the display, there were ancient calligraphy-stained tapestries that that hung on either side of a very large statue of Siddhartha sitting in a tranquil lotus pose. It looked very lavish, but with respect to their beliefs, it was in fact only a tribute to their devotion and loyalty to achieving the highest peace attainable.

Shino crossed his legs on the wooden floor, sitting in front of the enormous statue of the young Buddha. The entire room, although larger than any other room in the Aburame compound, could hold a party of more than one hundred people, was completely empty. Suddenly, that emptiness faded. Padded footsteps became louder, and closer, to Shino. His father's form was light, but easily detected on the bamboo floors.

"You have good news." Shibi beamed; his son was unmistakably glowing with anticipation. "You've met someone?"

"Father!" Shino's voice was uncharacteristically calm and happy. He was shocked at his own intonation, but shrugged it off and continued. "Yes, I have good news." His father always, ALWAYS, knew.

"Young love…" Shibi was lost in thoughts as he glided towards his son, slapping his knee in delight, "this calls for a celebration! Who is she? Tell me everything about her."

"Well, she means a lot to me." Shino was still uneasy about the subject.

"Hmm, yes, of course." Shibi was playfully leaning back on his arms and stretching out his legs. "Someone you care about. Someone you love?"

"Someone I think I always will love." Shino smiled, another unexpected response.

Shibi was overjoyed with his son's new mannerisms. Usually their conversations were very rehearsed and difficult to express a lot of emotion with. But this was something different, for both of them. "What is her name?" His spine shivered in eagerness.

"This is part that is hard to explain,"

"To explain… her name is hard? Is it someone who has a name that's hard to pronounce?" Shibi imagined a beautiful western girl with some incomprehensible European name; his mouth watered.

"No, I mean, it's someone that you might not approve of if I tell you what her name is."

"By all means, you know how I feel about this. I want you to marry for love more than anything. Please just tell me her name!" Shibi was on edge now, very interested.

"She is the only one for me. Her name is Temari; and soon to be Aburame Temari." Shino said confidently.

Shibi's eyes went from being pleasantly eager to wide and confused. "I don't understand; she wants to settle down? Does she realize how much money it takes, and what this will do to all she's worked for?"

"Yes, we already talked about every last detail. She understands every consequence."

"Some consequences are not as important as what you gain in the process, right? Hmm, I think it will be a good match. She is strong in character and beautiful, and suitable to be your wife."

Shino was lost for words. _'Is this really happening?'_ he couldn't help but think.

"Aburame Shino, my one and only child, the young master of the Aburame Tea House, you have my blessings."

Nothing could come to Shino's mind but an awkward smile as he flung his arms around his father. Shibi returned his hug and patted his son on his back. Inside, he was more than happy about the news. What he had always wanted for his son: happiness and the same joy Shibi felt for his job finally belonged to Shino.

Like the first time a blooming sakura catches the breeze and floats away from the tree which raised it, he saw a glimpse of his son maturing into the young man Shibi once was. A bright future, a happy home, and a family to come home to were all that he needed; and now his son took his first step towards that path.

Shibi smiled as his son helped him to his feet. They stood for a long time, gazing out into the cream-colored sunset, the velvet orange sun setting on the crests of the mountains in the distance. Shino took his father's hand and testified, "She really is the one."

"I felt the same way about your mother. 20 years later, we are still just as happy as you are this day." Shibi sighed deeply, taking in the sight. "She will make you happy, I'm sure."

For a time, they were still and silent. The sun sunk deeper into the horizon and the purple and orange clouds faded into twilight blue.

* * *

Thank you for reading. 


	5. Part V

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading thus far! You, the people are the ones who keep me going! I really hope you enjoy this chapter as it will be the second to the last!! Take your bets now, who knows what may happen!! Without further ado, I give you... Underneath Ch. V ! Thank you!!

* * *

_With every breath you take, I pray it's not your last._

* * *

...

The two gentlemen and Temari sat in a dimly-lit room; smoke from incense covered the smell of something more sinister than cologne could hide

The two gentlemen and Temari sat in a dimly-lit room; smoke from incense covered the smell of something more sinister than cologne could hide. In low tones, a conversation was taking place in the salon of the tea-house at sunset.

"I take it, you received my letter?" She looked to the floor, tracing a pattern in the grain of the tatami mats with an extended, sharp nail of her index finger.

The men barely spoke; one stared at himself in the reflection of now lukewarm tea while the other stared blankly into the wall.

"Don't ignore me!" Temari's nail turned into a fist as she punched into the floor. "You know why I sent it, brothers."

Gaara looked at Kankuro, wondering if he had a better explanation. He sighed and explained, "You have a debt to repay to us. You have no right to speak this way as if your life is your own."

Kankuro only snickered and dipped his finger into the tea. "This tea isn't even warm, hah." He scoffed under his breath. Lifting the tea cup into his right hand, his fingers curving around the bottom, he the pitched the tea cup at Temari. It broke on impact, cutting her on the cheek as it feel to pieces around her. "You dirty whore. You... you wretched being. Can't you just REMEMBER your place in this world? You are to serve us, bitch. We sold YOU, remember? Your life isn't yours, but the debt of your filthy mother is. You'll be paying it until the day you fucking DIE."

Temari suppressed her tears and violent anger, and gathered the pieces of shattered china with a handkerchief. Gaara pushed his brother's shoulder and whispered 'let me take care of this' very quietly.

"Listen," Gaara cleared his throat and wheezed again. "There is no possible way that we can acknowledge you, this marriage. You are nothing to us, barely even a half-sibling. You are making a horrible mistake, and you are only following in the footsteps of your concubine mother."

The last piece of broken porcelain was wedged between her thumb and index finger as Gaara finished his statement. She gripped the glass, cutting her hand as it balled into a tight fist. "Even so," her chest heaved as her breath became louder and louder. "Shin—Master Aburame, he… he loves me. I love him! He thinks I am… beautiful."

"Beautiful? Love? There isn't enough make-up in the world to cover-up your ugly heart! There isn't enough perfume to take away the stench of you defiling our family name everyday. How dare you say you love him, you wretch! You're just like your mother, you have no idea what love IS."

"That is ENOUGH!" Shino flung open the sliding bamboo door and rolled up his sleeve. "If you have a problem with my fiancée, you have to go through ME first."

"Hah, who is this wimp?" Kankuro laughed.

"Whatever, he wants a fight?" Gaara jumped up. "Let's show him a little respect. Wanna play?"

Shino didn't wait for them to finish as he shot his foot out for a roundhouse kick, sending them to the floor. "Temari, get out of here!"

"No, I…"

"GO!"

"But…"

"Heh, I guess you aren't as wimpy as you look. Oh well, that's the only time you'll catch us off-guard." Kankuro threw a fake punch and then kneed Shino in the stomach.

Gaara ran around and held Shino from the back while Kankuro sent another kick to Shino's face. Shino dodged, and Gaara was hurled into the door. Shino rolled away and stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Gaara, Kankuro, STOP!"

"What makes you think you have the right to stop us?"

"Yeah, this is between us."

"I'm sorry Temari, but this is a fight I cannot lose." Shino lunged at Gaara, figuring it was easier to take someone around his height first, but Kankuro caught hold of Shino's leg and pulled him to the ground. Shino screamed as Kankuro crushed his ankle in his palm.

Preoccupied from watching the agony in Shino's eyes, Gaara left himself vulnerable; Temari picked up a vase from the kotatsu and smashed it against the back of Gaara's head. He dropped to the floor; just as Kankuro witnessed his brother's defeat, Shino broke free from his grasp.

"Fine," Kankuro kicked his brother's body, pulling him over one shoulder. "We're done here."

Temari and Shino stared at one another in silence as the door shut, closing out the light with it.

Kankuro left into the foyer where two maids were waiting with their coats. "You better go check on them," he wiped a stain of blood from his chin and nodded. Exiting into the street, the sunlight was diminished to a single ray of white glitter from the moon. As he dragged his brother into the stagecoach, he looked back at the teahouse; he shook his head and they were off into the night.

* * *

Temari ran to Shino as he collapsed onto the mats from exhaustion and injury. "I'm so sorry, Shino… I'm so…"

"Shhh," he sighed and lay down beside her.

She lifted him onto her lap and rested her palm behind his head. "I'm really sorry." She whispered as he closed his eyes and slept.

A moment later, a group of young women piled into the room with candlesticks, cleaning all the debris and fixing the shoji door, and medical supplies; one even was sent to find a doctor. They dressed the wound on Temari's hand and various ones on Shino. By this time, they were both extremely tired and sore. When the doctor finally arrived, they were checked over and he decided to come by again in the morning. Temari needed stitches on her palm, and Shino needed extensive bandages on his abdomen. For now, all they could do was to wait for the morning.

When all the commotion cleared out of the room, Temari and Shino laid next to each other in separate futon. Shino carefully extended his arm over to Temari, and caressed her cheek gently. "I don't care," he whispered in her ear, "I still love you. I don't care what those people do or say. I love you."

"Shino," she beamed and brought her bandaged hand up to his and held it tight.

They fell asleep shortly afterwards, still holding hands in the darkness.


End file.
